Reported speech

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Reported speech

Daisy has just had an interview for a summer job.

Instructions

As you watch the video, look at the examples of reported speech. They are in red in the subtitles. Then read the conversation below to learn more. Finally, do the grammar exercises to check you understand, and can use, reported speech correctly.

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We use reported speech when we want to tell someone what someone said. We usually use a reporting verb (e.g. say, tell, ask, etc.) and then change the tense of what was actually said in direct speech.

So, direct speech is what someone actually says? Like 'I want to know about reported speech'?

Yes, and you report it with a reporting verb.

He said he wanted to know about reported speech.

I said, I want and you changed it to he wanted.

Exactly. Verbs in the present simple change to the past simple; the present continuous changes to the past continuous; the present perfect changes to the past perfect; can changes to could; will changes to would; etc.

She said she was having the interview at four o’clock.
(Direct speech: 'I’m having the interview at four o’clock.')They said they’d phone later and let me know.
(Direct speech: 'We’ll phone later and let you know.')

OK, in that last example, you changed you to me too.

Yes, apart from changing the tense of the verb, you also have to think about changing other things, like pronouns and adverbs of time and place.

'We went yesterday.' > She said they had been the day before.
'I’ll come tomorrow.' > He said he’d come the next day.

I see, but what if you’re reporting something on the same day, like 'We went yesterday'?

Well, then you would leave the time reference as 'yesterday'. You have to use your common sense. For example, if someone is saying something which is true now or always, you wouldn’t change the tense.

Worksheets and downloads

Transcript

Transcript:

Sophie: Mmm, it’s so nice to be chilling out at home after all that running around.Ollie: Oh, yeah, travelling to glamorous places for a living must be such a drag!Ollie: Mum, you can be so childish sometimes. Hey, I wonder how Daisy’s getting on in
her job interview.Sophie: Oh, yes, she said she was having it at four o’clock, so it’ll have finished by
now. That’ll be her ... yes. Hi, love. How did it go?Daisy: Well, good I think, but I don’t really know. They said they’d phone later and let me
know.Sophie: What kind of thing did they ask you?Daisy: They asked if I had any experience with people, so I told them about helping at
the school fair and visiting old people at the home, that sort of stuff. But I think they
meant work experience.Sophie: I’m sure what you said was impressive. They can’t expect you to have had
much work experience at your age.Daisy: And then they asked me what acting I had done, so I told them that I’d had a
main part in the school play, and I showed them a bit of the video, so that was cool.Sophie: Great!Daisy: Oh, and they also asked if I spoke any foreign languages.Sophie: Languages?Daisy: Yeah, because I might have to talk to tourists, you know.Sophie: Oh, right, of course.Daisy: So that was it really. They showed me the costume I’ll be wearing if I get the job.
Sending it over ...Ollie: Hey, sis, I heard that Brad Pitt started out as a giant chicken too! This could be
your big break!Daisy: Ha, ha, very funny.Sophie: Take no notice, darling. I’m sure you’ll be a marvellous chicken.

Discussion

Comments

Yesterday, I had an incredible day because I talked to my old Friends for a while about how they have gone in their lives and at school academically, also was an incredible day because remember as we met and we agreed to see again.

Hello!
Yesterday, I had an excellent day as it was my last day of social service, but I became nostalgic the las conversation whit my students, because they told me that they are going to miss me a lot. That's why it was a memorable conversation.

Hi!
Yesterday I had a conversation with my friends in the afternoon, we were playing billards and they said that in their school don't have class two week, because the teacher go out of the country. They are happy!!
Then they want go with me of vacations but in this moment I have english class so I don't can go with they.

I think that the conversation most interesting that I had yesterday was whith my classmates and my teacher. The teacher said us that we have to do a proyect about the subject. He asked to answer some problem and he asked to do some summaries for the next week. Some Classmates insisted him giving us more time for do this homewoks. The teacher gave us a week more and we promised him to deliver the proyect, summaries and problems on time

Yesterday I had a very interesting conversation with a friend about our degree.
'I promise I'll take you to factory'. He said me. He has been working on factory for 6 months, he think that he would get information about recruitment.
'You really must go wit us' He said, personally I think that it is a good chance for my knowledge.
'Don't forget to phone me' My friend said. He reminded me to call him for the weekend.
Until now this is the most interesting conversation...

Yesterday, I had an interesting conversation with my sister because she told me to get home in afertenoon.
She told me that she would invite me to the cinema and she promise me to that buy clothes .
I'm happy!

I had a great day, because I met with my friend, we talked about climate change. He said that it's caused by the people that don't care the natural resources. I said hir to need us save energy for example turn off the light when we don't use and change the old device.

Hello! Yesterday I was chatting with my friend about what she would do on her vacations and she invited me to go on a trip with her because last month she begs her parents to be paid a trip to "Cancun" and she is very happy so much that she thereatened to stop being my friend if I was not traveling with her :(

Yesterday, I was talking with my sister and she told me to made a Project that night, but she didn't how do it because she didn't go to the class for a week, and her teacher warned her to not pass the course if she don't do this Project.
So I promised to help her but if she buy me a dress and she said me that she accept.

Yesterday I had an interesting conversation with my friend about how much does the petrol cost between his country and my country.
He lives in Canada and I live in Mexico.
He told me that in any petrol station one gallon of gas costs around 2.68 dollars.
And I want to tell you that one gallon of gas is around 4 liters here in Mexico. Besides, each liter here costs around 20 pesos, that means that 4 times 20 equals 80 pesos for the same amount of liters that he pays and me too.
But the diference is that here in México we have to pay 2more dollars than any American person!

Yesterday I had a conversation with my cousin because she is away from home, she has spoken to us to know how we are and tells me how much fun she has spent.
I speak with my cousin who is away from home and tells me how is happening

yesterday I have a conversation very important with a person of human resources of INIX for schedule a date for a interview. INIX is a company that is dedicated of the process for the fabrication the polymers. I would like to get a place for do my practices school in inix

Yesterday, I had a conversation with my favorite cousin. We talk about to go Queretaro together to search residence. We agree go out on Saturday in the morning. Our plans are going to eat at twelve with aunt and return to the seven of the afternoon.

Hi drhhnmaa. Some questions are a bit tricky. Why not have another go? You can also try some of the other videos in this section. They are at different levels and you can see the level below the transcript. From easiest to most difficult, they are A1-A2-B1-B2. Good luck :)
Jonathan (LearnEnglish Teens Team)